1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to electric toothbrushes and instructional displays, and more particularly to an apparatus for demonstrating the effectiveness of an electric toothbrush, and dental procedures in general. The invention also pertains to an apparatus which is reconfigurable or which can be constructed for a variety of educational and amusement applications.
2. Description of the Background Art
Numerous situations arise in which dental practitioners are called to demonstrate dental concepts and procedures to their patients. For example, understanding a procedure before it is performed can help a patient reach a decisions and/or provide comfort to that patient. Instruction can also motivate and condition a patient to properly care for their teeth. One important aspect of proper dental hygiene being brushing.
Proper teeth brushing is an essential component of healthy oral hygiene. A major cause of the development of cavities is the presence of dental plaque. Plaque is systematically formed on tooth surfaces between brushings. If tooth brushings are inadequate, dental plaque can accumulate on tooth surfaces as well as within interdental spaces. Such accumulations of plaque from inadequate brushing can lead to bacterial growth that may form acids that destroy the protective enamel of the teeth thereby forming cavities. Improper oral hygiene is also a contributing factor in the development of many periodontal diseases. Accordingly, the proper brush stroke technique, duration and location of tooth brushing efforts are important in the maintenance of good oral hygiene.
Many children and adults have not received adequate instruction concerning the proper techniques and duration of tooth brushing so as to properly eliminate plaque from tooth surfaces during each brushing session. Common brushing problems include the placement of the brush head on the tooth and gum surfaces and performing the brushing for a proper duration. In particular, many people spend an insufficient amount of time brushing lingual or palatal surfaces of the teeth and focus mainly on the facial surfaces. In addition, the incisors and canines often receive more attention than the molars and bicuspids.
Advancements in toothbrush design have included several electrical toothbrush designs that provide improved plaque removal capabilities in relation to a manual toothbrush. Electric toothbrushes typically have a toothbrush head that is oscillated in a narrow range of motion. Electric toothbrushes known in the art generally have a bristled brush configured for moving horizontally, vertically or rotationally. A number of electric toothbrushes are driven ultrasonically to provide oscillations at a very high frequency and these toothbrushes have been proven to be very effective in loosening and dissipating plaque near the gum line.
Instruction on tooth brushing technique and duration has been generally lacking, wherein the task of providing instruction concerning dental hygiene has been relegated by default to dental practitioners. Dentists typically rely on verbal communications for instructing patients, as there exist few instructional display devices in the art that can assist the dentist in educating adults and children in proper brushing technique, dental situations and dental procedures which lead to proper oral hygiene. Likewise, a dearth of display devices exist that can illustrate the effectiveness of different types of electric toothbrushes. It should be recognized that training by means of verbal discourse has been found far less effective than training which includes a combination or hearing, seeing, and doing.
Accordingly, a need exists for instructional dental displays, such as those that can efficiently illustrate the effectiveness of different types of electric toothbrushes. These instructional dental displays provide a framework for patient instruction, and illustrate other aspects relating to dental hygiene and dental procedures. The present invention satisfies those needs, as well as others, and generally overcomes the deficiencies found in existing equipment.